Applications of geospatial analyses in health research among homeless people: A systematic scoping review of available evidence

Ahasan, R (通讯作者),Texas A&M Univ, Coll Geosci, Dept Geog, College Stn, TX 77843 USA.
2022-9
Background: Unequal housing access resulted in more than 150 million homeless people worldwide, with mil-lions more expected to be added every year due to the ongoing climate-related crises. Homeless population has a counterproductive effect on the social, psychological integration efforts by the community and exposure to other severe health-related issues. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have long been applied in urban planning and policy, housing and homelessness, and health-related research. Methods: We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method to systematically review 24 articles collected from multiple databases (n = 10) that focused on health-related issues among homeless people and used geospatial analysis techniques in their research. Results: Our findings indicated a geographic clustering of case study locations- 26 out of the 31 case study sites are from the USA and Canada. Studies used spatial analysis techniques to identify hotspots, clusters and patterns of patient location and population distribution. Studies also reported relationships among the location of homeless shelters and substance use, discarded needles, different infectious and non-infectious disease clusters. Conclusion: Most studies were restricted in analyzing and visualizing the patterns and disease clusters; however, geospatial analyses techniques are useful and offer diverse techniques for a more sophisticated understanding of the spatial characteristics of the health issues among homeless people. Better integration of GIS in health research among the homeless would help formulate sensible policies to counter health inequities among this vulnerable population group.
HEALTH POLICY AND TECHNOLOGY
卷号:11|期号:3
ISSN:2211-8837|收录类别:SSCI
语种
英语
来源机构
Texas A&M University System; Texas A&M University College Station; State University System of Florida; Florida State University; New Mexico State University; Mississippi State University; State University System of Florida; Florida International University; Texas A&M University System; Texas A&M University College Station; Texas A&M Health Science Center
被引频次(WOS)
0
被引频次(其他)
0
180天使用计数
7
2013以来使用计数
7
出版年
2022-9
DOI
10.1016/j.hlpt.2022.100647
WOS学科分类
Health Policy & Services
学科领域
循证公共卫生
关键词
Geospatial analysis Spatial analysis GIS Health GIS Homelessness Systematic review Scoping review Spatial analytics ArcGIS Geographic information system